United Way of Lane County’s

2023-24 Annual Report

I am delighted to share this 2023-24 Annual Report filled with a collection of impact stories, partnerships, a financial snapshot, and a list of our dedicated board members. United Way of Lane County’s mission is to mobilize communities to action so all can thrive.

We know that our communities’ greatest challenges – like financial instability, child care access, academic struggles, and emergency preparedness and response – are deeply interconnected. So our role is to bring people and resources together to address them.

Through cross-sector convening and strategy, fundraising and grantmaking, nonprofit capacity building, and volunteerism, we’re strengthening Lane County communities’ ability to tackle challenges and ultimately improve outcomes for kids and families.

This work happens because of you; thank you! My heart is filled with deep gratitude: gratitude for the thousands of volunteers who give of their precious time; gratitude for the donors who support our mission; gratitude for the numerous community partners committed to creating improved community conditions; gratitude for engaged and thoughtful board members; and deep appreciation for the United Way team who give immeasurably of themselves to advance our mission and vision.

“The United Way [Community Support] grant significantly enhanced our capacity to support underserved youth in Lane County, aligning with United Way’s priority populations. This funding enabled us to provide consistent mentorship, academic support, and mental health services, fostering resilience and academic success among our participants. We expanded our reach, enrolling 16 children from Springfield and their families, addressing critical gaps in services and improving literacy and prosocial behaviors.

Teagan, a third-grader, overcame severe anxiety and academic challenges through our mentorship program. After receiving consistent support, she improved her reading speed from 15 to 52 words per minute and engaged positively with peers. Her attendance also significantly increased, demonstrating the holistic benefits of our approach. This transformation underscores the profound impact of our integrated mental health and educational support services.

Beyond the connections described above, we were honored to speak at United Way’s Youth Mental Health Crisis event. This opportunity positioned our organization as a cornerstone of community support alongside other esteemed organizations. It allowed us to highlight urgent needs and rally the community to actively participate in creating tangible solutions. We deeply appreciate United Way’s role in amplifying our mission.”

As Lane County’s volunteerism hub, United Way mobilized over 1,000 volunteers to support local nonprofits and guide United Way’s work during 2023-24. Over 800 volunteers participated in United Way’s annual Days of Caring event, providing a total of 3,220 service hours across three days, a value of over $102,000. 2024 also marked the return of the Volunteer Coordinators Network. Volunteer coordinators at over 70 organizations convene monthly to discuss best practices and share learning around strategies to best engage young volunteers, create dynamic new volunteer roles, and diversify recruitment strategies.

In April, United Way partnered with COSA, the Coalition of Oregon School Administrators, to host a statewide summit focused on youth behavioral health. People gathered in Eugene from across the state to strategize on how to better support youth in our communities who are facing mental health challenges, such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and more.

Hundreds of people from around Oregon came together, including professionals in education, health care, and nonprofit organizations serving children and youth, along with some high school and Lane Community College students.

Thousands of children across the state of Oregon now have more ways to build their home libraries and cultivate a love of reading, thanks to a statewide expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. A $1.7 million state allocation to the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) moves Oregon toward making the program available to all children ages 0-5 in every county. As the Local Program Partner for most of rural Lane County, United Way and the Early Childhood Hub provided funding for over 2,500 kids during 2023-24 to receive high quality, age-appropriate books every month through the Imagination Library.

As a strong convener of early childhood work in our area, United Way of Lane County’s Early Childhood Hub was selected as one of five organizations from across the state to design a Child Success Model blueprint, part of the Oregon Health and Education Collaborative’s Upstream Initiative. Research and data strongly demonstrate that these early years are a key time in which our communities, and organizations serving children, youth, and families, can have the biggest impact on the sustained success of our youth.

The blueprints will propose ways of improving the success of children in the first 1000 days of life – from conception to about age two. Each organization chosen will design their own local model; each community’s model will be integrated to inform policy recommendations for the 2025 legislature, to scale a blueprint that can be replicated statewide.

In 2024, a partnership between Lane County and United Way of Lane County successfully applied for nearly $20 million over three years from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to increase community resilience. The partnership, known as the Lane Transformation for Resiliency through Equity and Engagement (TREE) Network, will use the funding to invest in six “resilience hub” buildings around the county and their surrounding networks. Each hub will provide resources and programming year-round and will provide additional support to residents during weather-related emergencies such as wildfires, or ice storms. In addition to improving these local facilities, this grant will be used to provide trainings and workshops, fund community resilience projects through community led grant programs, and increase capacity of local organizations to serve people most likely to be impacted by climate events.

Thank you to our 2024-25 sponsors: